The present invention related is generally to coating techniques, and in particular to a new and useful wear-resistant tool, and process for coating such a tool.
A wear-resistant coated tool is known, for example, from DE-PS 35 12 986. In the case of the known tool, several discrete layers having a layer thickness between 0.002 and 0.1 .mu.m are applied onto a metallic surface by means of a cathode sputtering or other PVD (physical vapor deposition) method. For the application of the layers the surfaces of the basic tool body are moved during the entire coating process relative to at least two sputtering cathodes with different mechanically resistant materials as cathode.
TiC and TiB.sub.2, TiN and TiB.sub.2, TiC and TiN and TiB.sub.2, TiB.sub.2 and WC, TiB.sub.2 and Ti(C,N), TiB.sub.2 and (Ti, V)C, TiB.sub.2 and (Ti, W)C, (Ti, V)B.sub.2 and (Ti, V)C, (Ti,Nb)B.sub.2 and (Ti,Nb)C, VB.sub.2 and TiN, VB.sub.2 and WC, HfB.sub.2 and TaC, ZrB.sub.2 and TaC or ZrB.sub.2 and NbC were used as the sputtering cathodes. Here, the emphasis in the coating is placed on the formation of a large number of inner phase boundaries.
The service life of these tools during uninterrupted machining at high speeds leaves something to be desired.